


What Light through Yonder Window Break

by Abstract_Thoughts



Category: Merlin (TV), Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, Arthur Pendragon Returns, Canon Compliant, Coming of Age, Emrys Lore bc that was really unexplored in the show, F/F, F/M, For the most part, Friends to Lovers, Historical References, Immortal Merlin, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Post-Series, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Trollhunters Spoilers, arthur "how do i deal with my feelings what are they" pendragon, attempts at fixing historical inaccuracies, like.... REALLY slow, merlin has Regrets, merlin's been here a loooooooong time he's seen some shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-04-30 10:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abstract_Thoughts/pseuds/Abstract_Thoughts
Summary: It's been nearly a millennia since Merlin sent Arthur across Lake Avalon, since he watched Camelot burn, since he stopped really being "Merlin". When the Amulet of Daylight chooses a human for the first time, Merlin isn't necessarily sure what to do, especially considering that human is 15, and one of his students. Arthur returning from the dead complicates things a little more, though.





	1. Beginnings

Arthur could feel it- that piece of metal. Each breath made it dig just a little bit more into his heart- pushing him slowly towards death.

Merlin was still desperately trying to keep Arthur on his feet. Ironic that Arthur had spent his whole life being told that magic was evil, and here was a sorcerer attempting to save it.

… How many times had he, already?

Distantly, Merlin was rambling. Was it rambling? Or was it legitimate words, and death was starting to steal the King’s understanding of language, and the feeling from his limbs, and the love from his breast, and- and-

And his legs were giving out on him.

“Merlin...” he managed, “not without the horses. We can't, it's too late,” Arthur was leaning on his friend, pointlessly attempting to remain standing, “It's too late,”

Through gritted teeth, his servant hissed, “ _ _No__ -”

“All your magic, Merlin,” Arthur said, attempting to comfort himself just as much, “can't save my life,”

“I _can_ ,” Merlin practically begged, “I'm not going to loose you,”

Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but his legs had finally given up on him. He collapsed, half falling into Merlin. The sorcerer was attempting to pull him up again, but Arthur just gripped his friend's hand, “Just...” he said, leaning his head onto Merlin's arm, “Just hold me... Please. There's something I want to say,”

And Merlin- godforsaken, stupid, stubborn, __wonderful__ Merlin hisseed, “You're not going to say goodbye-”

“No, Merlin... Everything you've done. I know now- For me, for Camelot, for the kingdom you helped me build...” he was losing feeling in everything, darkness enveloping his world. Arthur was glad that he was withMerlin in his last moments.

Merlin looked ready to burst into tears. He was remarkably beautiful with the sunlight in his hair. He was remarkably beautiful all the time, actually. How had it taken Arthur this long to notice it? Had he always noticed it, but never been willing to say it, even to himself? “You'd have done it without me,”

“Maybe...” Arthur muttered, then looked up at his friend, “I want to say something I've never said to you before...” the king reached up, putting his hand on the side of Merlin's face. It caused every muscle in his body to burn with the excursion, “Thank you...” he said softly, letting his body give way, and fell into the darkness.

It was like falling through water. His cloak surrounded him, and he fell.

Wasn’t he supposed to be going the other way?

Oh God, was this Purgatory?

Panic had begun to set in when Arthur felt something around his ankle. He kicked at it, at his ankle, and realized he was underwater. He could see light above him, and he was on the bottom of a lake. (Lake Avalon?) And his lungs were beginning to burn. Placing his foot on the bottom of this body of water, Arthur pushed off with all his strength. Whatever had been wrapped around his ankle gave way easily, and the King burst through the surface of the water. He hacked and coughed, swimming to shore.

Lying face up on the bank, half hysteric, Arthur shouted, “You did it, Merlin! I should never have doubted you!” his laughter rang off the trees, and Arthur looked to where Merlin would have been.

There was no one.

This was not Lake Avalon.

And Arthur was alone.

The fact that they weren't near Lake Avalon anymore wasn't unthinkable. Perhaps Merlin had magicked them somewhere safe? Or, safe-er? Did it work like that? Could Merlin do that? If he could, why hadn’t he done that earlier?

Arthur pulled himself to his feet. If this was a different spot, then where Morgana’s forces were was an unknowable quantity. Near lake Avalon or not, Morgana's army was huge, and he was still the King and the General.

 _Fuck_.

Arthur pulled out Excalibur, which glowed softly in the darkness. Had it done that before? It occurred to him that this blade had been forged before the Purge, and was most likely forged in magic. Had Merlin been hiding the glow from him? Was the blade enchanted?

Okay, he needed to focus.

Moving as quietly as possible, Arthur noted that there were less stars than usual.

So many less. An omen, or more to his theory that this was Purgatory? Oh, God, what had he done to deserve such a fate?

And then Arthur broke through the trees, where there was a road.

Well, it was like a road. Sort of, only it was made out of black rock, and much wider than any other road he'd ever seen. Yellow paint- surprisingly bright- was painted along the middle in straight lines. Arthur moved across it hesitantly, and placed the edge of his sword on it.

Whatever he'd intended to do disappeared in a moment, though, as a steel beast screeched to a stop in front of him. Arthur leaped back, raising his blade. But a door opened on the side of the- the thing, and a familiar voice said, “Sorry 'bout that, mate, you alright?”

Arthur sighed in relief, lowering his blade, “Merlin! You can't just wander off li-”

Sounding horrified, as if he hadn’t _wandered off_ like the idiot he was, Merlin whispered, “ _ _Arthur__?”


	2. If You don't Think About it it Won't Hurt You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow steven yeun your mom lets you voice two gay characters smh

“... And again, while the First Crusade was definitely begun as a political move, it’s important to not underestimate the fact that many saw it as a religious mission,” Merlin tapped the keyboard, pushing the PowerPoint forward, “To the individual European Christian, this was a mission to take back the land of Jesus from heretics who had stolen it. Like, we can’t imagine the scope of the Church and religion in the early 9th century,” - Well, Merlin could. He’d made the mistake of being in what was now Italy at the time, and _oh boy_ had that been a clusterfuck- “and as much as the Pope and the Emperor were making political moves, the average European didn’t know, nor understand that,”

The bell then rang, and Merlin called to the group, “We'll finish this tomorrow! If you want it, the PowerPoint's on the Classroom!” he took a breath, sitting down behind his desk, and moving to put his papers in order.

“Mr. Edwards?” Merlin looked up to the sight of Jim Lake Jr, now the Trollhunter. If there was a physical manifestation for the word “anxiety”, Merlin’s grip on his jeans under the desk would be it. A child with so much on his shoulders was both a terrifying reality, and, as the kids say, a Big Mood.

“What's up, Jim?” he asked, pushing his papers aside.

“Um, so, Tobes just texted me and asked for his work,”

Merlin smiled, “Well, you can tell Mr. Domzalski that everything we did is on the Classroom, and if he has any further questions, he can e-mail me,”

Jim nodded, “Thanks, Mr. E,”

Merlin smiled, “No problem,” then frowned and said, “They let him have his phone in the orthodontist's?”

Jim said, “Well, they tried not to let him last time, but I had an emergency and was trying to get a hold of him, I ended up trying to get the front desk person to let me talk to him,” he laughed nervously.

Merlin smiled, “I had a friend once who'd do the exact same,”

Jim frowned, “ 'Had'?” he asked.

Merlin sighed, and said, “He... died,”

Jim said, “God, I'm sorry I asked,”

“It's alright. I've...” Merlin shifted in his spot. He really shouldn’t be getting emotional about this nearly 1600 years later, “You can't bring back the dead, no matter how hard you try,”

“Well, I'll pass your passive-aggressive response along,”

Merlin laughed, “Thank you, Jim,”

As he watched the Trollhunter go, fear filled his chest, as it always did with a new Trollhunter. It never chose a human, and yet... Merlin had always anticipated such a thing, of course. That was why the Amulet manipulated itself to it's master's need. Still, humans were- are? Could he count himself as human anymore?- different from trolls, and whatever happens will be unexpected.

Merlin sighed, pulling himself from his thoughts, and up from his desk. He eyed the clock- it was 2:30, of course it was. He still wasn't used to things consistently being exactly on time.

“Martin,” came Strickler's voice from the doorway. Merlin turned towards the other man, shoving his hands in his pockets, “How are you doing?”

Merlin grinned at him, a little shaky, “I’m- uh- I just got a lot going on, you know?” Strickler started to step towards him, clasping his hands behind his back. _God_ , he was attractive, “But I’m alright,”

Strickler smiled at him, “Glad you’re pushing through,” the space between them was closed. They were a footstep apart, “I imagine you’re staying for a while?”

Merlin said, “I got some stuff to do, but you can stick around if you want,”

“I was actually going to get some coffee, if you want me to grab you one,”

“Uuuuuh...” Merlin sat back down his his chair, spun around, and looked under his desk. As easy as a person walks, Merlin summoned his wallet from a pocket dimension he stored it in. He turned around, and found a five, handing it to Strickler. He made certain to close the space between them before hand. As the bill changed hands, Merlin made sure to let his fingers linger on the other hand, “Could you grab me a two cream, two sugar, please?”

Strickler smiled, “I can,”

…

Merlin slammed his fist against the wheel. Stupid machine. If he didn't know better, he'd say it was cursed.

He turned the key again, and hissed, “ _ _Stæfliðere__ __ofgā__ ,”. His eyes glowed, and the engine roared to life. Sighing in relief, the warlock pulled the car into reverse, backing out of his parking spot. Back to drive, and onto the road.

Driving was still such a surreal experience. For nearly 1500 years, the fastest he'd gotten around on was horseback. Well, maybe a train, but that was dependant on where he was, and whether he was high-class at the time. He'd never really driven a train (well... No. Once. Long story), but being in control of such a dangerous machine always made him on edge.

He turned onto the quiet street along the woods, humming softly in an attempt to relax himself. The road was quiet, dark, and empty.

__Wait, there was a person!_ _

Merlin slammed on the breaks, and the guy on the road leaped backwards. Panicking, Merlin unbuckled the seatbelt, scrambling out of the car.

“Sorry 'bout that, mate, you alright?” he asked.

The guy, seeming to be holding a __sword__ (out to fight normies, maybe?), sighed in relief and said, “Merlin! You can't just wander off li-”

Merlin. __Merlin.__ For the first time in nearly a millennia he heard his name. His __name__. And that voice... Could it really...? Merlin, hesitantly, whispered, “ _ _Arthur__?”

Arthur, with a shit-eating grin on his face, stepped into the light of Merlin’s headlight. While he was soaking wet, his hair was still that gorgeous blonde, his eyes still that beautiful grey-blue, and- and had Merlin forgotten about the scar over his lip? Was that new?

He placed his hands on Merlin's shoulders and said, “Yes! You did it, my friend!”

Suddenly, thehundreds of versions of this conversation Merlin had run over in his head disappeared. He managed to splutter, “W-what?”

Arthur's grin started to fade, “You- you brought me to Avalon, right? You- you saved me...” Merlin could see the excitement leaving Arthur's face, “Right?”

“Well.... No,” Merlin licked his lips, a bit nervously, “No I- I got you there but...”

Arthur, who’s hands hadn’t left Merlin’s shoulders said, “You did what you could. And there’s nothing more I could ever ask of you,”

“Just let me...” Merlin mumbled a spell, which Arthur tensed at, and ran his eyes along his King’s body, “No internal bleeding... New scar tissue on the heart... Mild dehydration, but nothing that can’t be dealt w-”

“What are you doing?”

Merlin’s eyes shot up to Arthur’s, and he cut the spell off, “Just checking that you’re alright,”

Arthur eyed his servant, stepping towards him, “And?”

“Nothing that can’t be dealt with right away,” Merlin moved to his trunk and pulled a Gatorade bottle out. A quick spell, and it was cold. He held it out to Arthur and said, “Just mild dehydration. You’ll be fine,”

Arthur asked, “Dehydration?”

“The male human body requires an average of 3.7 litres of water a day, and I think the whole ‘being kinda dead’ thing has made that a little difficult,”

“This isn’t _water_ , Merlin,”

“No, it isn’t. But it contains more electrolytes than water. Better for this situation,”

Arthur stared at him, “I’m going to trust you,” he said, trying to pull on the cap. Merlin told him to twist it, which he did. Upon trying on it, Arthur looked surprised, “Nice,” he said.

Merlin grinned, making an okay sign with his hands. Which Arthur didn’t understand, obviously, “I take it this is magic?” Arthur asked.

Merlin frowned, leaning against the back of his car. One whizzed past them, causing Arthur to yelp in surprise, “The prophecy said that you’d come back during Albion’s greatest need. But there is no Albion anymore...”

Arthur frowned, taking another sip of his Gatorade, “Well, that’s completely unhelpful,”

Merlin snorted, “Nothing is ever helpful, is it?” he moved to open the passenger-side door, saying “Get in the car, your soaked!”

Arthur stared at him, “What the bloody hell are you talking abou-”

Merlin felt it then- a magic nearly as old as himself. His head jerked up, and it was clear that Arthur saw his eyes glow.

Bular roared past them, ignoring the magic coming off of both Merlin and Excalibur, and thumping towards town. Towards Trollmarket.

Towards Jim.

As Bular had came close, Arthur had grabbed Merlin and pulled him close, holding out his blade in an attempt to protect them.

“Are you al-” Merlin turned to his king, and realized they were nose-to-nose. Merlin felt his chest tighten, and was grateful for the shit lighting out here. He cleared his throat, and released Arthur's waist, “Are you alright?” he asked, letting Arthur step back.

The king pointed his blade after Bular and demanded, “What in the name of God was that!?”

Merlin motioned for Arthur to get into the vehicle, “A gunm-gumm. Bular. Which means the Trollhunter is in trouble,”


	3. Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ay so my sister spilled juice on my old laptop so i have a new one now and season 3 fucked some plot points lmao  
> anyways ive been working out how to not write myself into a corner so LETS GO

Merlin shoved the car into drive, whirling around in a U-turn.

“By God-!” Arthur shrieked, “What is-?!”

“An automobile,” Merlin responded as calmly as possible, “Uses the movement of pistons pushed by steam to move wheels,” Merlin grit his teeth, silently casting a spell to watch Bular from a distance, “Steam is created from small-scale combustion- fire-, of gasoline,”

Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed together in that way that they did whenever he was focusing on several things at once, and he asked, “Is it sorcery?”

Of course.

Merlin snickered, “No, but this old fucker sometimes needs a spell to get it moving,” Arthur looked somewhat uncomfortable, so Merlin said, “Just the engine-” he pointed to the front of the vehicle, haphazardly whipping himself onto the shoulder just beside the canals, “- Which is up there. It just needs a push,”

Arthur snorted, “What technological wonders,” Merlin put the car in park, and Arthur asked, “And what the bloody Hell is a ‘Trollhunter’?”

Merlin showed Arthur how to unbuckle the seatbelt, “A sacred position among the Trolls that came from- uh...” Merlin took a second to remember what Arthur would’ve called the area, “Francia.. Ish. It is their sacred duty to protect both humans and trolls,”

Arthur moved to open the door, “From what?”

Merlin pressed his lips together and said, “Morgana,”

Arthur stopped moving, “She’s _dead_ ,”

Merlin nodded, “I thought so, too,” they stepped out of the car, “But even Excalibur could not keep her down forever,”

“And where is she, now?”

Merlin moved towards the canals, Arthur at his side, “Right now? Imprisoned beneath us,”

Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, “And how long will such an imprisonment hold?”

“That remains to be seen,”

Across the canals, Blinkous Galandrigal, AAAAAAARGH!, Toby, and Jim burst from the forest. Jim stayed atop, screaming at the amulet the incantation.

Arthur pulled Excalibur from it’s sheath, and leaped into the canals. Merlin, not willing to watch his student die, hissed, “ _S_ _íþbodan lybesne_ ,” and as Bular slammed into Jim the amulet burst to life, Jim hitting the bottom of the canals with the Sword of Daylight summoned.

It was quite a sight to watch Arthur stumble to a stop, then turn to look at Merlin, who grinned at him.

Arthur rolled his eyes, and dropped to a proper stance, throwing himself at Bular. The troll raised a hand and batted the king back like a fly.

Long-dormant reflexes burst to life, and the gumm-gumm was thrown backwards against the canal wall, Merlin leaping down and throwing himself in between Bular and the now-unconscious Arthur, “ _Back_ ,” he snarled, and Bular laughed.

“A petty sorcerer is supposed to threaten me? Are you one of Merlin’s followers, flesh bag?”

Merlin snarled, “ _Forweorpan earsling ðe sceaft_!” and Bular once again was thrown back about 20 feet.

Jim spun the Sword of Daylight- twirling it like a baton.. or- no! Like a knife! _Yes_!

The Trollhunter threw himself between Merlin and Arthur blocking Bular’s attack, and Merlin managed to pull Arthur onto his shoulder as Jim danced around the troll.

Merlin moved towards the side of the canal, leaning Arthur against it. He ripped his shirt, pressing the piece of fabric to the wound on Arthur’s head, “You’re not leaving me again,” he hissed, looking up at the blank wall, “Fuck,” he hissed, racking his brain for the spell.

Jim was moving back towards them. Bular laughed, “To think, I will have killed two Trollhunters in as many days,”

Jim raised the blade, clearly shaking, and the wall behind Arthur glowed to life, causing him to fall backwards, Merlin to lunge after him, and Jim to lunge after _him_ , and the door to Troll Market closed behind them.

 

As Jim stumbled to a stop, he turned to say, “Mr. Edw-”

But Mr. Edwards was gripping the blonde man’s hand, pressing a piece of fabric against the base of his scalp, “You don’t get to leave me that quickly, you prat,” he hissed, then took a shaky breath. He his palm against the wound and said, “ _Lâcnung mîn wine_ ,”

Jim watched in amazement as he pulled back the fabric and the blood retreated into the blonde’s scalp, and the wound sewed itself back together.

Toby whispered, “ _Dude_ ,”

Mr. Edwards sighed in relief, letting go of the other’s hand- Jim dully wondered if the man was his husband- and asked, “Are you all alright?”

Toby spluttered, “Us!? What did _you_ do?”

“It appears,” Blinky said, “your friend here is a sorcerer. And impressively adept one, as well,”

Edwards smiled nervously, “Thanks..”

Jim, still breathing heavily, asked, “Where are we?”

“Master Jim, Tobias, Sir, welcome to Troll Market!”

 

* * *

“Well,” Blinky sighed, “that wasn’t too horrible!”

Jim whirled around to face his mentor, “‘Not too horrible’!?” he repeated, “Draal almost killed me!”

“Yes!” Blinky grinned, now sounding much more invigorated, “He _almost_ killed you! You’re alive!”

Jim snorted, “You’ll forgive me if I’m not overwhelmed with confidence,”

In the far corner of the small library of Blinky’s, Mr. Edwards continued to fuss over his friend- whom he’d insisted that he was not romantically involved with the man, who’s name was apparently Arthur-, just sitting there beside him.

So, not really fussing, but Jim thought it was really sweet.

“How is he?” he asked his history teacher, who shook his head.

“I’ve seen him worse,” he said, “He has no physical signs of concussion, and any external wounds are cleaned. I figured I shouldn’t kill him forcing those to heal,”

Jim snickered, “Yeah, that wouldn’t be that great,” the Amulet pulled back the Armour and flopped down into his hands.

Blinky said, “I’ve been meaning to ask, Martin,” Edwards nodded as Blinky moved into the room, “Where did you learn sorcery? I did not know humans still practiced it,”

Edwards said, “My uncle taught me. It’s not unheard of, in remote corners of the wo-”

Arthur jerked at Edwards’ side, “Myrddin, yonder rôðor êow?” he asked. What was that, German?

Edwards turned to him, “Into âgl æca cêapian, mîn frêa,”

Jim asked, “This probably sounds really rude, but do you speak English, Arthur?”

Arthur stared at him, then turned to Edwards, “ Swilc onspr¯æc , Myrddin?”

Edwards snorted, saying to Jim, “He will in a second,” the two had a quiet conversation in that language, and Merlin askedd, “Got it?”

Arthur frowned, “I believe so,” he snorted, “You never cease to surprise me Mer- Martin,”

Edwards smiled and shook his head, “I try,”

Arthur sat up, and Edwards yelped, leaping to his friend’s side, “I’m not _dying_ , Me- Martin,”

“Yeah, well, if you’re not careful, you might hurt yourself more,” the warlock huffed.

Toby said, “So, Mr. E, you’re, like, a wizard?”

“Yes,”

“ _Cool_ ,”

Arthur snorted, “That power in the hands of an evil man would- and has- cause havoc across the land,”

Edwards said, “As your blade would?”

“I-” Arthur frowned, then grumbled, “I hate it when you’re right,”

“It’s a skill,” Edwards turned to the others and said, “Thank you, again. We won’t take up your space- or time- anymore,” he helped Arthur up onto his shoulder, the other man leaning but capable of walking. The two moved towards the exit, “And, Jim, Toby?”

“Hmm?”

“If you two ever need any assistance with-” he motioned around them with his free hand, “ _this_ , just let me know,”

Jim said, “Thanks, Mr. E,”

“Outside of class, Jim, you can just call me Martin,” he then said to Arthur, “Just don’t let go of me, alright?”

Arthur _actually_ crossed himself, “God help me,” he said, and Martin’s eyes glowed that fiery yellow again, and the two of them disappeared with a _snap_.

Toby grabbed Jim’s arm, “Dude that was fucking _wild_!”

Jim bounced on the balls of his feet, “Hell yeah, man! That was _so cool_!”

Blinky was fiddling with his fingers, “Master Jim, I would not be so willing to accept your teacher’s help, if I were you,”

Jim’s grin fell, “What? Why?”

“Well, since Merlin disappeared, no human have been taught magic. He says that he learned in the ‘remote corners’ of the world. I would be suspicious of that, were I you,”

“So if he didn’t learn there,” Toby asked, “where would he have learned?”

“If I were to guess,” Blinky became incredibly interested in his hands, “I’d say Morgana,”

At the name, the room shook, and the torches upon the walls flickered.


	4. The Darkness Wanes, but For a Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the wait friends college prep and work got me fucked

“Who’s Morgana?” Jim asked, causing the lights to flicker again.

“The Pale Lady,” AAAAAAARGH! said.

Blinky waved his arms again, “It is a cursed name, Master Jim. She is the one responsible for Gunmar’s rise nearly a millennia ago,”

Jim said, “So, she’s a witch?”

“Oh, the most dangerous of witches,” Blinky responded. He began to move around the room, appearing to be looking for nothing in particular, “And one of the most powerful- trained by Merlin himself,”

“Merlin was a good guy, though,” Toby said, “Right?”

Blinky nodded, “He was. She is not,”

Jim stepped towards him, “What did she do?”

Blinky licked his lips, “She killed many people, Master Jim,” Jim leaned on the table in front of him, “She helped Gunmar rise to power- legitimized him... Empowered him,”

Jim looked at his hands, “You really think she taught him? Mr. Edwards, I mean?”

“I’m afraid those who learned under Merlin were all found by Morgana’s forces by the late 1500s. Witch hunts among humans didn’t help,”

Jim turned his eyes up to Blinky, “I’m just... He’s always been such a good guy. If he was helping Morgana, why would he risk his life to help me? Why would he stand up against Bular for- What’s his name..? Arthur?”

AAAAAAARGH! said, “Might be lying. Arthur might be helping,”

Jim leaned on his hands. He prayed that that wasn’t true.

 

* * *

 

“1600 years!?” Arthur demanded. He’d slammed down the cereal bowl he’d been eating, and Merlin raised a hand to keep the milk droplets in air, as reflexively as one raised a hand to shield sunlight. At the sight of the mid-air milk Arthur threw his hands in the air, “Of course,”

Merlin flicked his hand and the milk became a kind of blob before being settled back into the bowl, “I told you it’s been a long time,”

Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, “How are you still alive?”

Merlin snorted, “That’s... A good question,” he moved his hands with practiced ease, calling a book to him from across the room, “I have a few theories,” he said, flicking to the right page, “Here’s the thing-” he turned it around so Arthur could read, “I’m someone called Emrys,”

Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, “That sorcerer Morgana was after?”

Merlin nodded, “Mmhmm, that very same. It is my destiny to protect you- and...” he turned his eyes down, “And I failed... Kilgharrah said that you would rise again with Albion’s greatest need,” he turned his eyes up and said, “And as it’s my destiny to protect you, I think it’s because of you. I mean, being the personification of magic probably has something to do with it, but you give me more of a sense...” Merlin searched for the right words, “Of purpose, I suppose,”

Arthur stirred his cereal- oh god he was making it so sludgy and _soupy_ \- and said, “I... I’ve never been very good with words... But... Thank you,”

Merlin looked at his hands. Was he blushing? “It’s, um.. It’s nothing, I guess,”

Arthur said, “So what is the plan for Bular?”

Merlin jerked his head up, “That is not my place to say. The Trollhunter must make that decision,”

Arthur took a bite of his gross soup-cereal, “He’s your student, right? Speak with him tomorrow,”

Merlin raised his hands in defence, “Arthur, you don’t unde-”

“Are we to let this monster continue to attack this place? Your Trollhunter is ridiculously untrained and yet, you seem to believe him capable of fighting such a monster,”

“Of course we aren’t! And Jim will learn in ti-”

“Merlin,” Arthur’s voice had gotten quiet, “You will speak to him tomorrow, and we will form a plan alongside him and his mentors. Am I clear?”

Merlin took a shaky breath, “Yes, my lord. You are,”

 

* * *

 

Jim kept his eyes on Mr. Edwards from down the hall.

“You don’t really think he’s dangerous, do you?” Toby asked.

Jim shook his head, “We don’t have any proof either way. And besides, I don’t even know what we’re supposed to do about-”

“Uuuuh, Jim,” Toby grabbed Jim by his bag, “You’re glowing!” Toby dragged him into the change room, “Do you think you’re gonna, like, change?”

“Change?” Jim repeated, “I’m not a werewolf!”

“Yeah, but Blinky said it responds to your emotions, right?”

“How is that relevan-!” the Armour burst to life, and Jim stumbled backwards, falling over one of the benches, “ _Shit_!”

There was the sound of the door to the room opening, “Jim?” came Strickler’s voice, “Are you alright?” Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed the two of them, and Jim and Toby were pulled backwards. Within seconds, they were in Mr. Edwards’ classroom.

The sorcerer sighed in relief, “If he’d seen you, Jim-”

“How did you know to help me?” Jim demanded, Blinky’s warning fluttering in his mind.

“The amulet is powerful magic,” Martin said, moving behind his desk, “Any magic-sensitive person could feel it,” he sat down, and asked, “Are you alright?”

Jim spluttered, “I’m fine!”

Martin’s eyebrows shot up, “Yes, I can see that,” the sorcerer leaned forward on his hands, “Jim, as I’m sure Blinky has told you, the Armour reacts to your emotions,”

“Yeah, he did tell me. How do you know that?”

“Anyone who learns magic should study all of Merlin’s work,” Jim eyed his teacher, “You are suspicious of me,”

Suddenly, Toby slammed his hands against the desk, “Do you work for Morgana or not!?”

The lights in the room flickered, and the door, already closed, locked. Martin stood, eyeing his students, “How do you know that name?” he demanded.

“Blinky told us that every sorcerer who learned under Merlin were killed!” Toby was almost shouting now.

Martin suddenly looked older. His shoulders sagged, and he turned away from them. The door unlocked and he flopped down in his chair. Digging his fingers through his hair, the sorcerer muttered, “Of course...”

Jim, now feeling horrible for screaming at him, asked, “Um... Martin? Are you-”

“Merlin,”

Jim blinked, “What?”

“I lied to you. My name isn’t Martin Edwards,”

Toby asked, “Then what is it?”

“Merlin. Emrys. I have a lot of them,”

“Wait...” Toby tapped the amulet on Jim’s chest, “You made this thing?”

Merlin snorted, “Don’t sound _that_ surprised,” he leaned forward, his eyes glowing a deep, swirling gold, “Class is about to start, boys, and I’d really like to not have Senor Uhl on my ass. We’ll talk about this later,”

The Armour released, the Amulet dropped into Jim’s hand. He looked up at Merlin, “Did you-?”

Merlin nodded, “Get to class, boys,”

 

* * *

 


	5. Questions and Answers and More Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait friends college is kicking my ass

Arthur watched his manservant stir his drink without even touching it. If it had been anything other than Merlin, the King would’ve thought the sorcerer mocking him. Even with the two teenagers on the other side of the room, Jim just fiddling with the Amulet as Merlin fixed them some tea. From his position on the couch, Arthur could see the top of Merlin’s head as he moved about the kitchen, if one could call the pathetic corner of the room a kitchen.

He sat up, leaning on the back of the couch, just as Merlin placed two cups of tea in front of the boys.

“So, what do you want to know?” he asked.

“Um, h-” Jim started to speak, but Toby interrupted him.

“Are any of those stories real?”

Arthur shot his eyebrows up, “Stories?” he asked, and Merlin shook his head.

“Which ones?”

“Like...” Toby frowned, “Being King Arthur’s court magician?”

“Merlin..” Arthur pushed himself to lean on his elbows on the back of the couch, “What have you told people?”

Merlin raised his hands in defense, “I haven’t said anything, tongues just wag!”

Arthur snorted, “‘court magician’?”

Merlin sighed, leaning forward onto the counter, “I _did_ stay in Camelot for a few decades after... You know... And I took over the position as physician as Gaius got on, and I trained a few apprentices, both in medicine and magic. I advised Gwen on a lot of magical issues, so that’s probably where that came from,”

Arthur smiled sadly at the thought of Guinevere, “There is no one I’d think better suited,”

“Thank you, sire,” Merlin turned back towards the boys, “Anything else?”

Jim looked down at his tea cup. He stirred it a little, and asked, “Why did you choose me?”

The room quieted. Merlin raised a hand, and his tea cup moved up to his grip, “Your heart,” he said, “There is a goodness. a will for mercy, and want to do good within you- something I have not seen in far too long,”

Jim tilted his head, “What do you mean?”

Merlin sighed, sipping his tea, “I’m a very old man, Jim. I’ve seen terrible things- seen people do terrible things. But you see good in everyone, everything. You’d protect anyone- I mean, if they deserve it. And I know I’m probably just saying the same thing over and over- but it’s true. You’re a goodhearted young man, and I haven’t seen that in a long time,”

Jim, who had become quite interested in the bottom of his tea cup, “... I... Thank you, Merlin. That- that means a lot,”

Merlin smiled a little- when was the last time Arthur had seen him smile? His chest tightened at the sight. God, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it- and said, “No problem,” he turned to Toby, “You, too, Mr. Domzalski,”

Toby pointed to himself, “Me?”

Merlin nodded, “Yep. You two are always joined at the hip, and I knew that if I picked Jim, I picked you, too. You’re loyal, and willing to leap into the flames for those you love,” -his eyes flickered towards Arthur- “A trait that is always good in those who stand at your side,”

Toby grinned like a child, “Thanks, man! I mean- Mr. Edwards- I mean-”

Merlin laughed a little, “Toby, it’s okay. I know what you mean,”

Toby suddenly became very interested in his fingernails, “Um- yeah. Thanks,”

Arthur pushed himself off the couch, moving to the counter, “If you are willing, Mr. Lake,” he said, “I could teach you to use that blade properly. I’m told,” he jerked his head towards Merlin, “that Blinky is to teach you. However, I believe it is of note that he has never trained a human before. I do not wish to take his authority, simply...” Arthur frowned.

“Help bridge the gap?” Merlin offered.

Arthur pointed to his servant, “Yes!” then turned back to Jim, “Help bridge the gap between the Trollish training you’ll receive, and the fact that you are still human,”

Jim frowned, “Well, I’d be up to it. But Blinky’s gotta give us his opinion first, probably,”

 

...

 

“My Lord,” Merlin said, stepping into the centre of the room, “Welcome to the Hero’s Forge!” he held his arms out to prove his point, and Arthur stepped forward.

“Amazing,” he breathed, then turned to Jim, “This is where you train?”

Jim nodded, “I know! Isn’t it beautiful!”

Merlin looked at the statues along the walls. His eyes fell on Kanjigar. He stepped towards it a little, guilt swelling in his chest. He remembered him as a young troll, so much life and excitement to protect his people and the humans that Gunmar’s legions would harm. Now, nearly 4 decades later- dead. Just like that. In all his years, Merlin never did get used to how sudden it always was.

“Merlin!” came Arthur’s voice, “I do hope that you did not intend for me to, perhaps, mime a sword?”

Merlin turned towards his king and grinned, “‘Course not, Sire. Though, that would be a sight,”

Arthur scoffed, “ _Mer_ lin,”

The sorcerer held out a hand to his side, saying, “ _R¯æcan reach me ûpweard, wierp me forð forth_ ,”

Starting at the palm of his hand, a golden light spread outwards. It formed a sword- nearly 2 feet long and sharp on both edges. Merlin clasped his hand around the hilt, and Excalibur settled into it’s form- steel and gold, enchanted by a dragon’s breath.

He turned towards Arthur and handed it to him, “I kept it safe, these past few days,” he said.

Arthur nodded, “You have my thanks,” he spun the familiar blade, and chuckled a little bit. Merlin stepped out of the centre of the room, letting Arthur and Jim move to the centre- the latter of which had said the incantation while Merlin had been, erm, distracted- and leaning against the wall.

“While we wait,” Arthur was saying, “show me your stance,”

Jim dropped to a stance, and Arthur shook his head, “Don’t lock your knees- that’s how you break them,”

“Oh,” Jim muttered, loosening up.

“Keep your whole body loose- like a rope. Too tight, and one good hit and you’ll snap,”

Merlin smiled, turning to Toby, “Namely, one’s bones,”

“That seems like a bad thing,” the latter said, shifting his weight, “So, just a heads up- Blinky thinks you’re working with Morga-”

“Blinkous, you are risking hundreds of years of security for a few humans!”

As Vendel stepped into the room, Blinky was walking beside him, his 6 arms flying frantically as he explained, “The dark-haired one is a sorcerer!”

Vendel scoffed, “Amazing! A human flailing at magic, how helpful!”

Merlin, a bit offended, stepped off from the wall and said, “I do not _flail_ , sir,”

The elder moved across the room, and pointed his staff in Merlin’s face, “I have not seen a competent human sorcerer in centuries, _sir_ ,”

Jim and Arthur had paused what they were doing, and started to move towards the commotion.

“Merlin is incredibly competent,” Arthur said, moving to his servant’s side, “I can assure you of that,”

Vendel snorted, “Your name is _Merlin_ , sorcerer?”

“Has been for 1600 years,” Merlin felt Arthur’s grab the back of his sweater collar.

“Yes it has,” his King said through his teeth, “and I assure you his tendency to wag his tongue does not effect his ability,”

“That’s quite a bit longer than humans’ average lifespan, no?” asked Vendel.

“Well, being the personification of magic tends to do that,” Merlin snapped back, and Arthur’s fist tightened against Merlin’s neck as his grip tightened.

Vendel snorted, then turned to Arthur, “And who are _you_ , fleshbag?”

“King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot,” Arthur said, as if that was just a thing that people said casually. Merlin grinned.

 _God_ , he’d had missed him.

Blinky was looking between the King and his servant, and the elder, seeming very bewildered.

Vendel blanched, “Truly?”

“I understand that I have been out of commission for quite a while,” Arthur joked, “However Merlin tells me that- uh- a lot of things have happened,”

Jim snorted, swinging his blade onto his shoulder, “I’d call that an understatement,”

“You believe these men, Trollhunter?” asked Vendel.

“I do,” Jim responded.

“How convenient that despite all of Merlin’s followers being dead,” Vendel turned back to Arthur and Merlin, “he stands before us now,”

“What?” Jim spluttered, “Vendel, that’s not _that_ crazy, considering everything that’s happened these past few weeks,”

“You are new to our world, Trollhunter,” the elder snorted, “You know little of our ways,”

“Master Jim,” Blinky said, “Merlin disappeared after the Battle of Killihead Bridge, he hasn’t been seen for centuries! That he would show up, after all this time is...” Blinky played with his hands, “Well, it’s not easily believable,”

Merlin felt guilt swell in his chest.

“Have you ever fought Morgana, sir?” Arthur asked, causing Blinky to say no, “Well, I have. And I assure you, my sister is a force to be reckoned with,”

Jim spluttered, “Morgana’s your _sister_?”

Merlin could _feel_ Arthur trying not to show how disgusted he was with that fact, how everyone took it as if he should care about her.

How he still did.

Instead, he did that King Thing™ where he shoved all of that down, and bluntly said, “Yes,” then turned back to the trolls. AAAAAAARGH! had entered the room, now, and was looking particularly confused, “My point is, Morgana is a foe to be reckoned with, even for Merlin,” he motioned towards his servant, “And I assure you,” he stepped towards the trolls, “if Merlin stepped away from his duties, it was only to compose himself enough to be able to assist in protecting you,”

Arthur, of course, had no idea of the truth. How Merlin had locked himself in his home for weeks, running over a million scenarios he could have done instead of others, of how many people he could have saved, of the guilt over what he’d done to Morgana.

But Arthur didn’t need to know any of that.

Instead, he lowered his hand to Merlin’s shoulder and said, “You need not believe me, but I know that I trust him with my life,”

Merlin couldn’t help but smile, “Thank you, sire,”

Vendel leaned in close to Merlin again, “Then, I do not believe His Majesty,”


	6. Domestic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A FEW NOTES:   
> \- updated chapters 1 and 2, because the writing was very bad. Go re-read them if you're up for it!   
> \- College is......... a lot. These stories are my “write something just because you enjoy it" thing, so Please Don’t comment “update!!!!!!!!” because I AM working on them, but my education takes priority. Remember that this is free content, that I do for free, and I would appreciate Actual Critique. Comments like that discourage me more than anything else.  
> \- I may do art for this story, and if you’re interested in doing any, or have questions, check me out at taakos-haat on Tumblr  
> \- 3Below was fucking awesome, but if the comparison/confusion of troll-magic stuff and Akiridion tech is anything to go by.... I may have to rewrite some plot points AGAIN  
> god damn del Toro and his fucking incredible stortyelling  
> \- And this is a little worldbuilding chapter before we get into the plot, so enjoy!

Merlin slammed the shot glass down- again. Who was he really angry at, here? Vendel, or himself? Both?

He eyed the bottle of whisky on the counter, and reached out to grab it again.

Arthur, it appeared, had other ideas, and snatched it off the table out of Merlin’s reach.

“You’re not taking this well,” he said.

Merlin narrowed his eyes, “Fucking stellar investigative skills,” he held out his hand, “Now let me drink myself into oblivion, thanks,”

“What kind of a friend would I be if I let you do that?” Merlin scoffed, and cast a spell, pulling the bottle back to his hand. Arthur sighed, “We’ll have to convince Vendel, Merlin,”

“Oh, this isn’t about that,”

“Then what is it about?”

“I..” Merlin fiddled with the shot glass clumsily, “I _did_ abandon them, after Morgana,” he didn’t dare look at Arthur, pouring himself another shot, “I ran, and I just kept running. Only came back to help Trollhunters-” he tossed the shot back, “-and left everyone else alone... I ran from everything- from Camelot, from the Trolls, from people, friends...” he eyed the bottle a little bit, watching the liquid swirl, “... Lovers. I never stayed anywhere long enough to care about people, because they’d just die,” he looked up at Arthur again, “Like everyone else,”

“So... You abandoned them because you were scared of losing them?”

Merlin poured himself another shot, “No, I was scared of disappointing them,” he tossed the shot back again, and it burned a little this time, “See, there’s this huge mythos out there around me, about how I can split seas and turn armies against themselves-”

“Can you?”

Merlin snorted, “No,” he shook his head, “That’s such an impractical use of energy, anyway...” then became quite interested in his fingers, muttering, “I never want to be on a battlefield again, anyway,”

“Hmm?” Arthur asked, “Didn’t quite-”

“Oh, I said that a whole battlefield is a difficult target, anyway,” Arthur nodded, “Anyway, there’s this huge bullshit about all that- but I’m just a man! Just a dude! I can’t...” Merlin swirled the bottle again, “I’m not a god, but people seem to want me to be”

Arthur frowned, “So you didn’t want to disappoint them, so you just left?”

“Wazzn’t my finest hour, Sire, but it was one,” he leaned forward on his elbows and said, “And I didn’t know how to deal with the Trolls seeing me as fallible, so... So I ran. I ran, and I kept running, and every fucking time I tried to make a life- however brief- it never worked...” he glared at the whisky bottle, “In the 1300s, I married this wonderful young woman from Freesia- think it was the Holy Roman Empire, then... Felicia, was ‘er name. She had this dark hair and bright eyes, all muscle from working in her father’s fields all her life, and she was so ready for a change. Far as she knew, I was some git from 2 towns over, and I wasn’t gonna force anything on her, but we fell in love, anyway....” He paused, “We couldn’t have children. Whether it was her or me, I... Well, I wasn’t gonna force... this-” -he made a small ball of light form in his hand, then squashed it- “- on a child, anyway, but... But she got the Plague, and we didn’t understand anything about it...” he turned his eyes to the counter. God why did he ever open his mouth and _talk_? He was upset now, “No magic I could do could heal her. All I could do was give her the mercy she desired, and deserved, rather than let her die slowly...” he took a breath, and smiled bitterly, “And then I fucking ran,” he looked up at Arthur, “I fucking ran, like I always do. Some people thought I was a witch, and brought the Plague to them,”

“You _are_ a sorcerer,” Arthur pointed out. He looked rather upset. God, why did Merlin have to drink _now_? When Arthur was here and he could bare his soul to him?

“Yeah, but I’m not a monster sent by the Devil to bring pestilence, or whatever,” Merlin snorted, “No magic is gained like that. A deal with a faerie? Perhaps, but they’re slimy little bastards and tend to lie to you,”

Arthur eyed him, “A monster sent by the Devil?” he repeated.

“Mmhmm,” Merlin shrugged, “I dunno, if He wants to give people power like that, apparently He has to have sex with them?” Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, “And I dunno, if some twink came up to me and was like, ‘hey if you want magical powers ya gotta fuck me’, I wouldn’t even let him know I already had them I’d be like, ‘okay, sure’,”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, “You would- you would have sex with the Devil?”

Merlin laughed, “No- no- in this scenario, all I’m aware of is his rockin’ twink-ness-”

“You’ve lost me,” but Arthur was smiling now, half-laughing his words, so that was always nice. He had a gorgeous smile. Merlin had always thought about that smile- his legitimate smile that he saved for behind closed doors, for his loved ones. It always made him happy, and then sad. And then _guilty_. Why hadn’t he thought to learn teleportation magic when he knew that Arthur might die?

He poured and tossed back another shot.

“Merlin?” Arthur was waving a hand in front of his face, “Are you alright?”

“’M fine...” he smiled a little, “Just missed having you around, ‘s all,”

Arthur snorted, then at Merlin’s genuine expression said, “Alright, I think you might’ve had enough,”

Merlin laughed, letting Arthur help him to his feet, “You can ask Sober Me in the morning, Sire, ‘m sure I’ll say the same thing!”

Arthur helped him up the stairs, “I’m sure you’ll just tell me I’m a self-absorbed prat,”

“You _are_ a self-absorbed prat,”

Arthur elbowed him, and Merlin laughed as they turned the corner. Arthur could hide a lot of things, but not from Merlin. He could see the slight smile on his face, as Arthur opened the door to Merlin’s room, flicking the light on.

“Go to bed,” he instructed, and Merlin walked across the room, collapsing onto the bed.

“G’night, Arthur,”

The light flicked off, “Good night, Merlin,”

 

...

 

Merlin shoved his legs through the mud. Why the Germans had decided to hole up in Belgium of all places was BEYOND him, but it wasn’t his place to question command.

Hadn’t been in a long time.

Beside him, there was a garbled yelp from his comrade- 16 years old, lied to join, he’d told him. How was that allowed?- as he stumbled falling forward into the mud. Merlin lunged to the side to pull the kid out, but as he grabbed the boy’s arm it melted into mud.

The battlefield of the Somme started whirling- the ocean of mud swirling around him, screams and sobs coming from every angle. The horizon disappeared, and corpses collapsed on the other side of the circle, legs and arms and eyes and hands blown off. Merlin slammed his hands over his ears, his own screams joining the chorus as his knees hit the ground.

“Merlin, honey?” the sorcerer’s eyes flew open, and his mother was kneeled before him, putting her hand on the side of his face.

“Mom,” he sobbed. Had she been here the whole time?

Then, wrinkles began to form on her face, her body curling in on itself like a raisin, “Why didn’t you save me?” she asked, beginning to melt, to join the mud, “ _Why didn’t you save me_!?”

And then she was Gwen- her hair silver and her eyes softened with age- an arrow in her stomach, “Or me?” his Queen- his friend- demanded, “You could’ve saved me, you could’ve saved Camelot, but you left me to _die_!”

“ _No_ -!”

And then she was Freya- Felicia- Gwaine- Lancelot- _Arthur_ -

“Merlin,” Arthur said, stepping towards him. He was dressed in his armour, his cape whipping around in the Hellish wind. There was a hole in his chest, blood running from it consistently. It hit the ground as he walked.

“I’m sorry,”

“Merlin,” Arthur said again.

“Wha-”

“Mer-”

 

...

 

“- _lin_!” Arthur was tapping the side of Merlin’s face, and was standing over him on the side of the bed.

Merlin, processing absolutely none of this, sat straight up and screamed. His closet door on the other side of the room shattered into splinters.

“ _Merlin_!” Arthur grabbed his servant’s shoulders, pulling his arms around him in an attempt to hold him still, “Get a hold of yourself!”

Catching his breath and getting his bearings, Merlin leaned his head onto Arthur’s chest, muttering, “Sorry...”

Arthur made a noise in his throat, “Yes, well-” he pushed Merlin off him, “-your box is making an ungodly noise, and you weren’t hearing it-”

Merlin chuckled, “My- my _box_?”

“Yes, the one you talk into,”

Oh, of course, “You mean my _phone_ , Arthur?”

“Whatever it is you call it, it would not respond to my commands,”  
“Well, if you want to use voice commands you need to use a specific prompt-”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Well it barely understands you anyway, why didn’t you just turn it off-”

“I tried! It only showed me numbers!”

“Oh my _god_ -”

“Merlin! Don’t talk like-”

Merlin threw his hands up, not even having this argument, and pulled the covers off. He walked across the room and grabbed his phone off of the dresser.

“You’re going to fix that,” Arthur motioned to the wood shattered across the floor, “right?”

“Yeah, hold on,” Merlin unlocked his phone, dismissed the alarm, and responded to a few messages, then locked it and went to shove it in his pocket, but he was wearing pajama pants so it slipped out of his hand and it just fell on the floor.

Merlin stared at his phone, “That was the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever done,”

“I could think of quite a few more to add to that list,” Arthur snickered.

Totally unrelated, behind him, a pillow lifted off the bed and whacked him on the back of the head.

Laughing, Merlin bent down to grab his phone, and Arthur lunged across the room and grabbed Merlin around the waist, heaving him over his shoulder.

“Hey-!” Merlin shrieked with laughter as Arthur carried Merlin down the hall and into the living room, dropping him right on the couch. Merlin blew his bangs out of his face and kicked at his friend, “You’re a prick,”

Arthur gave him a shit-eating grin, “And you’re an idiot,”

Merlin snickered, standing up and moving to the kitchen to make breakfast. As he cast spells to move utensils and pots around, he reached up to scratch the stubble on his face, and the thick scar underneath.

Maybe, just maybe, for the first time in a long time, everything would be okay.


	7. Heterosexuality™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: there is casual, in passing mention of a suicide attempt. It begins at "If Merlin thought Arthur couldn’t see..." and ends at, "... a bit less observant than he thought." It's merely a sentence, so if you need to skip it, you won't miss anything important.
> 
> Also HOLY SHIT this is a big boy. had to split it into two  
> i should have written my Important Shot List, but instead I wrote this, a true testament to my ability to hyperfixate

“Yeah, just like that,” Toby was saying, hiding the- very obvious to Jim- shit-eating grin on his face.

Jim stepped into the Hero’s Forge- he was a bit late due to rehearsal.... issues. If Steve didn’t want to play Tybalt “because he dies” then why did he audition for _Romeo_?- to the sight of Toby and Arthur in the centre of the room, Merlin, Blinky and AAAAAAARGH! nowhere to be seen.

“I feel ridiculous,” Arthur grumbled.

He looked it too, with both arms out behind him, his head shrunk down to be flat with his arms, and-

 _Oh_.

Oh _no_.

“And- uh- what was this technique called again, Tobes?” Jim asked, “It’s on the tip of my tongue,”

Arthur spoke up, surprisingly, “The Na-roo-tow,” he said, drawing each syllable out, which was a federal offence in some countries.

“That was it!” it took everything in Jim not too burst into laughter.

Arthur rolled his eyes, “Yes, well, it’s more aero- ay-” his face scrunched up in confusion.

“Aerodynamic?” Toby offered.

“That’s the word, yes,” Arthur straightened his back and rolled his shoulders, “Toby tells me it allows air to pass by you much quicker, allowing you to run faster,”

Jim nodded, “Uh-huh,”

“I think that _is_ what aerodynamic means,” Toby muttered, but Arthur didn’t hear him, turning towards Jim.

“You’re late,”

“Yeah, rehearsal ran late,”

Arthur moved to the edge of the room to grab his blade, “Well, let’s hope you’re not over-worked, hmm?”

Jim pulled the amulet from his bag, dropping it at the edge of the room, “You _wish_ ,”

Arthur chuckled, “Confidence, or bravado?”

Jim snickered, saying the enchantment. They went back and forth for about half an hour- maybe more- and Arthur knocked him down quite a few times, hard enough to leave bruises. All the while, Toby called encouragements from the sidelines.

After Jim hit the ground about the 7th time, Arthur’s sword at his throat, the King smiled, and held his hand out to help Jim up, “You’re getting better,” he said, shifting the plate armour he was wearing over his chest.

“That _is_ what happens with practice,”

Arthur smiled at him, “That it is, but try not to get overconfident. That usually gets men killed,”

“That it does,” guffawed Draal, who had entered the Forge.

Jim rolled his eyes, not willing to bitch back and forth with the Troll, especially considering the bruises that were starting to form, but Arthur spoke up, saying, “For someone who was so proud to beat an opponent smaller and less skilled than you, you are quite full of bravado yourself, Draal,”

“And the human lord is to lecture _me_?” Draal demanded, stepping towards Arthur.

“Yes, and I’d suggest you listen to him,” Merlin had come into the room now, Blinky and AAAAAAARGH! just behind him.

Draal froze in his place, “Merlin!” he spluttered, and Jim felt like it was a bit ridiculous for someone so big.

Merlin smiled at him, but there was bitterness behind it, “You talk a big game, but it isn’t an accomplishment to beat an untrained human child,”

Draal almost looked humiliated as Merlin closed the space between the two of them, “But, if you’re so proud of it, do be sure to mount Jim’s head on your wall once you win on Friday,”

Draal attempted to form words, but Merlin wouldn’t let him, “If you are a man of honour, my friend, you’ll leave, let Jim train, and be sure that this will be a fair fight at the end of the week,”

Draal nodded, “Of course, my Lord,” Merlin smiled, and stepped aside to let Draal pass.

“What in God’s name was that?” Arthur looked like he’d been punched in the face.

“Draal’s father was the Trollhunter before Jim,” Merlin turned towards Arthur, “He knows who I am, and he knows I’m not going to fall for his bullshit,”

“He almost looked scared of you,”

Merlin pressed his lips together, looking guilty, “He knows that I don’t approve of his actions,”

Blinky, promptly ignoring this point of conversation, asked, “How’s the swordplay going?”

Jim laughed nervously, “I just got here,” at Blinky’s disapproving look he said, “Rehearsal went late!”

“Surly you could’ve informed your director that you had other commitments?”

Merlin snorted, “Lenora would have none of that, I assure you,” he moved so he was right against Arthur, fixing his shirt collar. Ever the manservant, it appeared, “And if memory serves me, William would be very pleased to know that Romeo and Juliet have so much chemistry,”

Toby appeared to vibrate at the speed of sound, saying, “You knew Shakespeare?”

Merlin snorted, stepping to Arthur’s side, “I wouldn’t say _knew_ ,” he cleared his throat a little, “We- uh- spent time together,”

Jim nodded, “Ah,” that image was certainly..... Something.

“But he loved his work,” the sorcerer had started to pace, beginning to talk with his hands. Oh god, he was in Teacher Mode- all hand gestures and long strides, “When Macbeth was first in production, I sat in the seats of the theatre while the three witches recited their ‘spell’, over and over. He wanted it just right, always the perfectionist,” he smiled, seeming a bit nostalgic, bittersweet, even, then said, “I was right beside him when King James came down after the first public show, told him how much he loved the portrayal of the witches, and was glad William was getting the idea out of how dangerous these- quote-” Merlin dropped into a horrendous Scottish accent- “’Servants of the Devil are’ to the public,”

Jim and Toby laughed- Merlin’s lecture on witch hunts, and James I in particular had been icy- and Arthur looked particularly worried, “I take it this was not a kind depiction?”

Merlin snorted, “His Majesty was wrong about a lot of things, particularly magic. He hated it. Wrote a book on the subject- _Daemonologie_. In the introduction he said, quote, ‘The fearefull aboundinge at this time in this countrie, of these detestable slaves of the Devil, the Witches or enchanters, hath moved me (beloved reader) to dispatch in post, this following treatise of mine...’, which is almost the kindest depiction we’ve received in the past millennia,”

“Remember him,” AAAAAAARGH! said, “Very mean,” Merlin nodded seriously.

Jim turned to Blinky and said, “See, if William Shakespeare would like my performance, then it’s not a big deal,” he would never say it aloud, but the thought made him ridiculously happy.

He’d only auditioned to impress Claire- and also, an excuse to Strickler why he had a suit of armour on- just saying the same speech Blinky had given him nearly a month ago, now, smiling at Claire afterwords.

He hadn’t expected to get the part, but it was fun. Actually _doing_ Shakespeare was so much more different than reading it. He’d always enjoyed it, considering it an absolute wild ride, but teachers somehow manged to make a story of star-crossed love, the Very Obvious relationship between Mercutio and Benvolio, Tybalt in general, and the wonderful shit storm that was Romeo and Juliet _boring_. It was astonishing, actually.

Also, he really liked being close to Claire. It was nice, actually speaking to her instead of awkwardly staring at her from across the room.

Really nice.

Blinky rolled his eyes-despite the smile on his face- and Arthur said, “Regardless, Jim has made quite a lot of progress in the swordplay department,” he swung his dangerous, highly-enchanted mythical blade up to his shoulder like it was no big deal at all, “In merely a month, I think he could manage to survive an altercation,”

Merlin gave Arthur that half-smile he only gave him, quirking his mouth up just a bit and shaking his head, “Not exactly motivating,” he clapped Arthur on the shoulder as he passed him, continuing on his pacing tirade around the room.

Arthur a very undignified noise, “Do you ever sit still, _Mer_ lin?”

“Nope,” Jim, Toby and Merlin said at the exact same time, causing Merlin to look mildly offended.

Toby said, “It’s giving me anxiety just watching you,”

Merlin passed Toby now, saying, “Maybe that’s the point,” Arthur laughed from his position across from Jim.

Blinky sighed- Jim could _see_ the Tired Father™ look beginning to form- “Well,” he said, “whenever you’re done, there is something we should check out- all of us,”

 

...

 

“Goblin,” AAAAAAARGH! said matter-of-factly.

“A dead one, by the looks of it,” Merlin muttered.

Arthur reached out with Excalibur to poke it, “Is this one like that goblin that possessed Gaius, Merlin?” he asked, yanking it back from the flattened creature as it made a bit of a _splorch_ -ing noise, a bit of green blood spitting out.

 _Merlin_ would say that he yelped, but he was the King of Camelot. He did not _yelp_.

Merlin shook his head, kneeling beside it, “No, it’s a Germanic goblin,”

Toby asked, “Is there a difference,”

Merlin nodded, “Quite. Britannic goblins are skilled in magic- trickster spirits who revel in chaos. These ones, though...” Merlin grumbled something that Arthur didn’t quite catch.

Apparently, it was a spell, as his eyes flared bright green, and the goblin hovered off the ground.

Toby made a sound of disgust, “Gross,” he said, as it spun lightly, Merlin examining the corpse with a physician’s eye.

Jim asked, “Well, if British goblins are like that-”

“Britannic, Jim,” Ever the teacher, too, apparently.

Jim grumbled, “Yeah, whatever,” then continued, “what are these ones like?”

“Terrifying little pests,” Blinky said, “the most irritating and dangerous of them,”

“Pack mentality,” Merlin said, “like that really wrong study about wolves,”

Arthur did not understand a word of that, but no way in Heaven was he going to admit that.

“The one about alpha and omega?” Toby asked. He and Jim shared a dark look that Arthur did not understand, either.

“Exactly,” Merlin looked particularly proud of his students. He lowered the goblin back to it’s spot.

“Nasty little things,” Blinky said, “if this one died here, the group will be back to take out whatever- or whoever- did it,”

Jim looked to the house just to their right, “But that’s my friend Eli’s house!” he sounded quite distressed.

“Correction, Master Jim, he _was_ your friend,”

Arthur gripped his blade, “Absolutely not,”

Merlin looked up at him- that curious stare of his, his head cocked and his eyebrows furrowed. Arthur might even say that it was quite adorable, but men don’t say that about other men, and Kings certainly not about their manservants, all-powerful sorcerer or not, “Are you going to fight all those goblins yourself?” his serious expression had burst to a smile near the end of his question, almost like he was going to laugh.

It had been too long since he’d smiled like that.

Expressing absolutely none of this, Arthur snorted, “If that is what must be done to protect this Eli, then so be it,”

Jim nodded, “If you are, so am I,’

Blinky now looked particularly worried, like a mother scurrying after her children, “I would not advise that,” he said.

“Neither would I,” Merlin stood now, stretching his legs out, “That’s a death sentence, and-” he turned to Arthur, “- I already lost you once, and I feel like if I do it again, Gwen might decide to come back, too, and kick my ass,”

Arthur laughed softly, “She would certainly try,”

He’d shoved down thoughts of Guinevere this past month, even when asking Merlin about her. He hadn’t had the heart to ask how she’d died, though Merlin had said she’d never remarried.

That was just like her.

Merlin gave him that head-tiled, half smile of his and said, “Seriously, though, two swordsmen against a pack of goblins is like asking someone to shoot you in the head,”

Jim kicked at a loose piece of stone on the road. For infrastructure designed to be “smoother” and “easier to drive on”, it certainly did fall apart a lot.

Blinky saw the expression on the poor kid’s face and said, “But,” Jim and Toby’s heads snapped to attention, “we could stake it out, stop them if possible?”

Arthur’s memory- rather stupidly- went back to Camlann, that sorcerer atop the hill turning Morgana’s armies. His sister’s voice shrieking across the battlefield, identifying him as Emrys.

As Merlin.

Somehow, he had a feeling they’d be fine.

 

...

 

Within the next few hours, they were crouched behind a small wall opposite to Eli’s house. It was late March, so it was still a little chilly. Of course, Arthur was still trying to wrap his head around the calendar- “It’s the Gregorian calendar,” Merlin had said as Arthur had asked why the one on his fridge had such different numbers, “Had to be changed because the old one was inefficient,” he then rambled something about “there’s fractions in what a year is” and “there’s an extra day in February every four years to account for that” and “are you listening, Arthur, this is important,”, and of _course_ Arthur had been listening but all that number talk went in one ear and out the other.

Also, Merlin had been doing that thing where he talks with his hands again. His handsome, slim hands, now calloused and scarred. If Merlin thought Arthur couldn’t see the scars across his wrists, he was quite a bit less observant than he thought. The movement was quite distracting.

Merlin was quite distracting.

 _Focus, you fool,_ he snapped at himself, shifting his legs. Merlin had apparently decided that the best place to put _his_ legs was on top of Arthur’s, and he grumbled a complaint that Arthur ignored.

Merlin had put a scarf on before they’d left- bright red. Along with the old brown leather duster and blue t-shirt underneath -which proudly screamed something about “pride” in white font. Pride of what? For what? - Arthur could almost trick himself into thinking that they were back in Camelot, that everything was okay. That their biggest threat that day was making sure Gwaine didn’t fuck off to the tavern, and that Gwen was still at his side.

But no. The reminders were always there: seemingly permanent bags under Merlin’s eyes (had they always been so stark against his skin?), and the beard on his face hid the scars only to someone who didn’t look at him closely. There was a scar under his eye, and one from smallpox just behind his ear, and others just under his jaw, hidden by the beard.

“Those ones are from the plague,” he’d said a week ago when he caught Arthur staring, “I was a doctor, then, doing everything I could to ease people’s suffering...”

Arthur hadn’t asked if that was the same plague that killed his wife, but judging by his servant’s expression, that was probably the case.

Toby’s box- uh, _phone_ \- was making noises.

Jim looked particularly irritated, and Merlin finally snapped, in that Teacher Voice of his, “ _Mr. Domzalski, will you please turn your notification sound off_?”

Toby pressed a button on the side of his bo- _phone_ , God damn it- and the noises stopped.

“What has your phone going off so much, anyway?” Jim asked.

“It’s the chubby-tracker, dude!” Toby seemed quite excited by this, and Arthur had learned- slowly- that shitting down the throat of anyone who was excited about something was Not Advised.

Jim grinned, “Oh yeah,”

“Chubby-tracker?” AAAAAAARGH! Asked.

“Yeah, it’s for weight loss!”

Toby began excitedly chattering about his app (whatever that was), and Merlin had jerked to attention, Arthur just afterwards.

A truck had just parked in front of the house, and the driver wandered out and jumped around a bit, announcing very loudly that he had to pee, and promptly ran into the park to probably break a few laws.

The goblins came running down the street then. Arthur wasn’t too sure what he’d expected of them, given Merlin’s comparison to wolves, but this certainly wasn’t it.

They were nasty little things, snarling little green balls of disgusting. They scrambled down the street in their pack, hissing and snapping. The one at the front- who, by the looks of it, had something drawn on it’s face- garbled at it’s followers, and pointed towards the truck. The goblins all screamed, and scrambled across it, shaking it, punching it, and breaking a window or too.

Jim slid back down the wall, sighing in relief, “They were after the truck!” he said- and every hair on Arthur’s neck stood on end because he’d said it _so loud_ , and the goblins had stopped making noise.

They’d all turned towards the group, to Arthur’s grip on his blade, to the amulet in Jim’s grip, and to the two trolls failing to blend into the shadows.

Blinky screamed, “ _Run_!”

The group did as they were told, bolting the opposite way.

They vaulted over fences- Toby attempted, Arthur grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder- and tore through backyards, setting off quite a few alarms. The neighbourhood in chaos, with people half asleep or just waking up scrambled outside to protect themselves, they landed in Toby’s backyard, and ran towards the back door.

Arthur set the boy down as he desperately attempted to find the right key, “No, no, no, no-” he was shaking as he tried to find the right one.

The goblins had reached the edge of the

Merlin shoved his student out of the way and hissed, “ _Aliese duru rýne_ ,”, his eyes flared gold, and the lock clicked open.

Arthur held his blade towards the goblins as the group scrambled inside. Toby was right beside him, and as the group got inside, the teen pulled Arthur inside and reached to close the door, but a goblin lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.

Toby shrieked, trying to shake it off. Arthur raised his blade and slammed the hilt of it into the goblin’s head. The creature made a disgusting noise and threw itself back, the black bracelet Toby had been wearing around it’s neck.

“My chubby-tracker!” Toby wailed, trying to go after it, but Arthur grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling him back.

Merlin said, “I’ll get you another one, Tobes,” he was catching his breath, and tugged at his scarf.

As they made sure everyone was alright, Toby told them that his Nana was blind as a bat, and she wouldn’t notice a few other people if she couldn’t here them. An enchantment for silence later, courtesy of Merlin, they were up in Toby’s bedroom.

Merlin had crouched beside the dollhouse (...?) and said hello.

“Speaking to the dolls, Merlin?” Arthur teased, pressing the toe of his boot into Merlin’s shoulder.

Merlin shoved his foot back and said, completely straight-faced, “ _No_ , I’m speaking to the gnome,”

“As in,” Arthur turned to Jim, “the gnome you were supposed to deal with?”

Jim snorted, “First of all, his name is Gnome Chomsky,” -Merlin snorted a laugh, for some reason- “second, the exact words were ‘take care of him’ and, uh, he’s pretty happy,”

Arthur stared at Jim, and found he couldn’t even be angry. That was the stupidest pun he’d ever heard and he _loved_ it.

Ignoring his growing fondness towards the kid, he said, “Something tells me that those goblins aren’t going to go away,”

Merlin had sat down in Toby’s desk chair, and leaned forward on his elbows. His sleeves had rolled up a little, and-

 _Focus, focus!_ God, Merlin had always been like that. Had he enchanted him? The thought had been rolling around in his head. Merely months ago, he’d told himself it was because Merlin was stupidly willing to throw himself into danger despite his obvious fear, and that Arthur had just wanted to keep him safe, and any time he saw Merlin’s pale arms and neck and back it was just because he was so fragile, how did he not break just standing?

Now, though, he wasn’t too sure.

Merlin could clearly handle himself, and yet Arthur was still quite fond of just watching him.

This was a discussion for later.

“They won’t, no,” Merlin said, his eyebrows furrowed, “They must have a nest,”

A _nest_!? Jesus, God in Heaven, Arthur hated these things.

 

...

 

The visit to the museum was a standard. Every 11th grade class had to visit, and as such there was many more than Jim and Toby’s class. Merlin wandered, making sure everyone was okay, eyeing the curator- Zelda Nomura- out of the corner of his eye the whole time. She was a slim woman- dark hair, stark green eyes and a way of walking that was just _too_ quiet for a woman wearing high heels.

Strickler slid in beside him in that slinky, cat-like way he did, and gave him that pretty smile, “You’ve met Zelda, Martin?” he asked.

Merlin gave his best smile, despite every cell in his body being on edge, “We’ve- uh- we’ve spoken,” he held out his hand and she shook it.

“Never in depth, though,” Zelda smiled back, then said, “And as I’ve told Walter, you can call me Nomura,”

Merlin nodded, “Alright, then, Nomura,”

There was the sound of scuffling, and Merlin stepped towards it, but Strickler had already run after it, shouting, “Mr. Palchuck, Mr. Pepperjack is not a battering ram!”

Nomura was looking at him, Merlin could see that out of the corner of his eye, but he found himself smiling and shaking his head at the sight of Walter running after Steve.

“He likes you, too, you know,” Nomura said, causing Merlin to jerk his head towards her.

“W-what?” he felt blood rush to his face. He wasn’t exactly trying to hide it, but.

“I’m not blind, Martin,” she put her hand on his arm and said, “He’s talked about you quite a bit,”

“He’s...?” Merlin found himself shifting a little. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and it was like he was 15 again, his mother telling him that she was quite sure Will felt the same way.

And he had. Merlin often wondered if it was until the end, and if he could’ve saved him.

Nomura smiled, “He has, yeah,” she turned her smile towards Walt and said, “I think he’d say yes if you asked him out,”

Merlin’s tounge felt heavy, the idea of that made his heart skip a beat and his palms get sweaty (knees weak, mom’s spaghetti).

His suspicion that this woman might be a part of Morgana’s coven had completely left his brain- which he would realize within a few hours was probably the point- because now he was watching Walt across the room, coming back towards them, fixing his jacket.

Oh shit, this man would be the death of him.

 

...

 

About 5 minutes after the final bell rang, Jim and Toby ran up to his desk, Toby with his phone in his hand. They’d skidded in from the hallway, and Merlin nearly summoned a weapon before Toby spurted out, “My chubby-tracker!”

Merlin, the adrenaline in his body now not knowing where to go, demanded, “ _What_!?”

They entered the room. Jim was already changed for practice- the sweat pants, t-shirt and non-marking shoes were certainly a Look- and Toby moved towards Merlin to show him his phone, “One of the goblins took my chubby-tracker, and we can track them,”

Merlin stared at it, the goblin apparently sneaking it’s way through back alleys along Hunnington, and the sorcerer grinned like an idiot. He clapped Toby on the shoulder and exclaimed, “You’re a genius!”

Toby smiled nervously, saying, “Well, I mean-”

“That’s absolutely brilliant, Toby. Once we have time to sit down and look through their site, I’m serious, I’ll get you a replacement,”

“You know you don’t have too, right?”

“’Course,”

Jim nervously said, “I gotta duck out, but I’ll see you guys later,” he promptly did as he said, and Merlin could hear those good-old non-marking runners slam against the tiles as he ran to the gym.

Toby said, “We would’ve told you while we were at the museum, but you were with Mr. Strickler the whole time,”

Merlin felt that damned blush creep it’s way up his face and he said, “Well, he’s my colleague, and my friend. We both love history, of course we were gonna talk-” at Toby’s disbelieving expression he pointed at the kid and snarled, “That doesn’t leave this room, Domzalski,”

Toby put his hand over his heart and raised his left, “Scout’s honour!”

Merlin laughed., “I’ll see you-” he spotted Walt in the doorway and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Toby,”

Toby said, “Yeah,” and ducked out behind Walt, making a heart around the two of them with his fingers before leaving. Merlin almost debated throwing a book at him, but then he’d lose his job.

Strickler sat on the edge of Merlin’s desk, on the sitting side of it. Merlin kept the desk chair high, so Walt’s knees were at about his shoulders.

“Those two seem to have taken a liking to you,” he said, a soft smile on his lips.

Merlin grinned, “Yeah, sometimes kids just need to talk,”

Walt nodded, “Jim is a good kid, but I fear he’s stretching himself far too thin,” his foot bounced off the back of the desk, “What with his mother, the play, this chess club...”

Ah, yes. The “chess club”.

Merlin nodded, “Teenagers are always trying to live their whole lives within the 4 or 5 years they’re in high school,”

Walt chuckled, “I was in about 4 clubs, and I did after-hours classes,”

Merlin pressed his lips together, “Well, I dropped out, you know that,”

“Dropped out to take work,” he’d lied his first week at Arcadia, a mere 7 months ago, “My mother couldn’t support us by herself,”

Walt nodded, “Well, regardless, I have a proposition for you,”

Merlin tried to hide the fact that his heart might burst out of his chest, “Y-yeah?”

“Would you like to go for dinner with me? tonight? Just the two of us?”

“ _Tonight_? Um, well you know I’m still giving my mate a place to stay,”

“Yes, who’s wife-”

“Yeah.... Just- just let me make sure he won’t die without me, and I’ll let you know,” he took the other man's hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it, “Okay?”

 

...

 

“Absolutely not,” Arthur didn’t even look up from what he was reading- the _DnD Player’s Handbook_ , by the looks of it- “We’re going after those goblins, and-”

“And the 4 of you will live without me for a night!” Merlin gripped the edge of his counter and said.

“Just because you want to go with your friend, doesn’t mean-”

“This isn’t just an outing with a _friend_ , Arthur! Do you know how long I’ve had eyes on him-”

“ _Eyes on him_?” Arthur repeated, turning his head up to meet Merlin’s face. If the reflection in Arthur’s eyes was anything to go by, Merlin’s were glowing, “Merlin, do you intend to bed this man?”

Merlin turned bright red, “I- I mean if it goes well-” he slammed his hands down on the counter, and several glasses in the cupboard shattered, “ _That’s not the point_!” he shrieked, “Why did I even ask you, this is my goddamn house, I’m a _fucking_ adult, you’re not my goddamn boss anymore-”

“Merlin-”

“I’m my own goddamn person, and if I want to go on a date with a nice man, then I’m fucking doing it!” he took a few deep breaths, dug his fingers through his hair and said, “And do tell me how it goes with the goblins,”

He stormed up the stairs to change and shower, guilt spreading through his chest at the way he’d spoken to Arthur, but... Arthur telling him what he could and couldn’t do was one thing, when Arthur was the Prince and then the King, when Arthur was paying him and Merlin had to make sure he wouldn’t be assassinated every other day. But now, as much as Merlin was still willing to listen- he was still _Merlin’s_ King, no matter what- he wasn’t going to put up with Arthur talking to him like that.

Now, did he even have something nice to wear?


End file.
